Final Report - Asian Development Bank

46
TA 4721-PRC: Preparing the Shaanxi-Qinling Mountains Integrated Ecosystem Management Project
Final Report Appendix 7
forestry systems, silvicultural systems suitable for habitat restoration, low and middle
forest systems for small timber production and conservation.
� To understand and monitor the ecological processes and long-term dynamics of the
forest system in the project area, the consequences of habitat restoration, the impacts
of the various introduced silvicultural systems to the project area;
� To replicate habitat restoration techniques and projects to the wider Qinling mountains
based on lessons learnt.
(ii) Community Livelihood
� To create community managed forest areas based on continuous cover silvicultural
management systems to meet timber and firewood needs of (in situ) local people,
ecologically balanced forest habitats created where all age classes of tree are
represented;
� To introduce the concept of Analog or ‘forest gardens’ to extend range of NTFPs
available for use by community members (medical herbs etc);
� To introduce small timber systems to meet local needs such as firewood, and for
limited sale such as wood crafts, bean poles etc, for example, production based on
coppice / coppice with standards systems will be explored.
� To replicate community livelihood forest management approaches to the wider Qinling
Mountains based on lessons learnt.
262. The subcomponent will target the Community Forest Land within the 16 QBCDA villages and
private land converted under the Land Conversion Program (Grain for Green). The area to be
managed totals 5,000ha.
263. Forest restoration is a long-term operation. Achieving the natural equilibrium within the
forest where the natural processes sustain a multi level forest without human intervention will take
many years to accomplish. The Project will set the foundations for recreating natural forest lost
through intensive logging, agricultural activities and other anthropogenic influences and put in place a
system which will be able to continue through sustained investment.
264. The success of the restoration process is dependent on the long term commitment of the
Government of Shaanxi and its various agencies, most notably the Shaanxi Forestry Bureau,
Louguantai Forest Farm and the 16 local communities. The creation and management of forests
requires continued interventions especially in maintenance to ensure new planting survives and
continues to grow. Abandonment of these operations at the end of the GEF funded component of the
project will result in achieving very limited results towards the reconstruction of the forest habitats and
therefore limited value from the GEF investment within the project area.
265. Support for capacity building within the implementing agencies and local communities to
ensure that the forest management process is understood and developed during the project life and
beyond will be an essential element of this sub component, as will a commitment of the ‘lead’
implementing agency to ensure that the capacity building process continues and that the ‘lessons
learned’ are communicated to the wider forestry, conservation and local communities in order that the
process can be replicated both in the Qinling Mountains and elsewhere.
266. It is proposed that the Implementing Agency be the proposed Biodiversity and Livelihoods
division of QNBG (i.e., the existing Louguantai Forest Farm ). The Louguantai Forest Farm will be
responsible for field and village level activities including working with SFD to provide scientific support
and monitoring.
a. Village Development Planning:
267. The Village Forest sub component will integrate with the QBCDA strategy. Central to the
strategy is village development planning and the community implementation of Village Development
Plans (VDP). The village plans will identify community based forestry objectives with the development
of livelihood activities and other social requirements. Under the VDP process 22 , there will be a social
awareness and mobilisation process contracted to a NGO to develop the understanding of the
22
See Supplementary Appendix 2 for a detailed description of the VDP and the steps for implementation along
with proforma planning worksheets